A feud to defuse
Graham Cornes
October 14, 2006 12:15am
Article from: The Advertiser
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,20578414-21543,00.html
IT all started with Tyson Edwards standing at the bar of the Stanford Plaza on North Terrace after the Crows Club Champion presentation early last Saturday.
He was blissfully unaware that Rachel McLeod was behind him, holding her thumb and forefinger, in the shape of an "L", up to his head.
It could have been nothing more than a playful gesture - we've all done the "rabbit's ears" to our mates when standing behind them in photos - but given the recent history between the two families, that seems highly unlikely. The gesture means "loser", and it didn't go unnoticed by Edwards' wife Mandy, who was sitting close by.
Mandy Edwards' frustrations erupted as she took serious issue with the insult and rushed to defend the honour of her husband. From there the incident deteriorated, as the normally mild-mannered Tyson Edwards imposed himself into the verbal altercation, to the point where the security guards felt compelled to hover and the Edwards subsequently departed.
In the torrent of words and accusations that ensued, a glass of water was thrown and a glass broken. As happens when most altercations escalate; reason and rationale disappear. The dispute, which developed nearly two years ago now, seems no closer to resolution.
The Crows No. 1 ticket-holder, and most loyal global supporter and ambassador, Lleyton Hewitt has been embroiled in the dispute.
It is not a comfortable situation for Hewitt whose friendship with the Edwards family has strengthened in recent times, to the point where Hewitt is even considering whether if relinquishing his prestigious position in the club would help defuse the situation.
The pugnacious Hewitt rarely walks away from a scrap, but he is fiercely protective of family and friends, and he would support Tyson Edwards to that extent.
We've seen nothing like this in a football club before; an intense feud between two families who are both so important to the team. Of course, football clubs have had their divisions along family or factional lines before, but never have they been played out so publicly. The contrast between the two women seems stark.
Mandy Edwards is a quiet, almost retiring, mother of three boys, which often masks her strength, intelligence and resolve. Rachel McLeod is much more visible in the public eye, extroverted and sociable, but strong and determined in her own right. Both are fiercely protective of their husbands, so regardless of who is perceived to be right or wrong, that quality must be admired.
However, this is a serious issue for the Adelaide Football Club and its resolution is using far more time and resources than it should. At a time when trading players and preparing for a draft takes priority, Neil Craig, Steven Trigg and John Reid are forced to tread warily around an emotional minefield of jealousy and accusations.
It is true that Craig and Reid have met with both players, but the club's strategy is interesting. There were no ultimatums, as has previously been reported. Rather they laid out the facts, and compelled the players to consider what the end result to all this fuss could be.
They were also asked to consider what the alternative would be if the issue could not be resolved. Both players are smart enough and team-oriented enough to work that out. Obviously one of them would have to go. But trade week is over, so neither of them will go anywhere, unless one of them chooses to retire.
One thing the club is doing is taking great care not to apportion blame. Most of us in the media and in the general football public have formed our own opinions. But whether that opinion be informed or intuitive, the club is having none of it. The issue has to be resolved with the reputations and self-esteem of both parties intact. Such is the secret to successful diplomacy.
One ex-player's wife made a telling observation in the wake of last week's controversy.
"This would never have happened if Malcolm Blight was still here," she said. Her reasoning was two-fold. First, Blight never played favourites; second, Blight's wife Patsy was a wonderful off-field support to the senior coach, and her rapport with the players' wives and girl-friends eased a lot of those off-field pressures.
"That all changed when Malcolm left," she lamented, although she admits she has no insight to today's structures.
A wise old coach once told me, that if a talented player was struggling, there could be only one of two reasons: either he had problems at work, or he had problems at home. In the old days he was right, but the football club today is the players' work place, so domestic harmony becomes even more important.
Intriguingly, despite the distractions, both Edwards and McLeod had very good seasons.
But it is obvious to those who know them that the acrimony between the two wives is affecting them. Friendships between footy mates are supposed to be spontaneous, and natural, and if left to their own devices that is exactly how McLeod and Edwards would relate. But it's gone beyond that.
You don't have to like everyone that you play footy with, but almost overwhelmingly, you do.
Occasionally there are dramas and scandals within football clubs, but I suspect a lot less so than in life out there in the real world. Only two things can heal this festering issue and they are compromise and tolerance. If they can't compromise on their differences, at least tolerate them.
Failing that, as the grand old statesman of the Adelaide Football Club, Bill Sanders, has said repeatedly: "The club will always win".
Unfortunately, when the club wins, someone loses.
Graham Cornes
October 14, 2006 12:15am
Article from: The Advertiser
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,20578414-21543,00.html
IT all started with Tyson Edwards standing at the bar of the Stanford Plaza on North Terrace after the Crows Club Champion presentation early last Saturday.
He was blissfully unaware that Rachel McLeod was behind him, holding her thumb and forefinger, in the shape of an "L", up to his head.
It could have been nothing more than a playful gesture - we've all done the "rabbit's ears" to our mates when standing behind them in photos - but given the recent history between the two families, that seems highly unlikely. The gesture means "loser", and it didn't go unnoticed by Edwards' wife Mandy, who was sitting close by.
Mandy Edwards' frustrations erupted as she took serious issue with the insult and rushed to defend the honour of her husband. From there the incident deteriorated, as the normally mild-mannered Tyson Edwards imposed himself into the verbal altercation, to the point where the security guards felt compelled to hover and the Edwards subsequently departed.
In the torrent of words and accusations that ensued, a glass of water was thrown and a glass broken. As happens when most altercations escalate; reason and rationale disappear. The dispute, which developed nearly two years ago now, seems no closer to resolution.
The Crows No. 1 ticket-holder, and most loyal global supporter and ambassador, Lleyton Hewitt has been embroiled in the dispute.
It is not a comfortable situation for Hewitt whose friendship with the Edwards family has strengthened in recent times, to the point where Hewitt is even considering whether if relinquishing his prestigious position in the club would help defuse the situation.
The pugnacious Hewitt rarely walks away from a scrap, but he is fiercely protective of family and friends, and he would support Tyson Edwards to that extent.
We've seen nothing like this in a football club before; an intense feud between two families who are both so important to the team. Of course, football clubs have had their divisions along family or factional lines before, but never have they been played out so publicly. The contrast between the two women seems stark.
Mandy Edwards is a quiet, almost retiring, mother of three boys, which often masks her strength, intelligence and resolve. Rachel McLeod is much more visible in the public eye, extroverted and sociable, but strong and determined in her own right. Both are fiercely protective of their husbands, so regardless of who is perceived to be right or wrong, that quality must be admired.
However, this is a serious issue for the Adelaide Football Club and its resolution is using far more time and resources than it should. At a time when trading players and preparing for a draft takes priority, Neil Craig, Steven Trigg and John Reid are forced to tread warily around an emotional minefield of jealousy and accusations.
It is true that Craig and Reid have met with both players, but the club's strategy is interesting. There were no ultimatums, as has previously been reported. Rather they laid out the facts, and compelled the players to consider what the end result to all this fuss could be.
They were also asked to consider what the alternative would be if the issue could not be resolved. Both players are smart enough and team-oriented enough to work that out. Obviously one of them would have to go. But trade week is over, so neither of them will go anywhere, unless one of them chooses to retire.
One thing the club is doing is taking great care not to apportion blame. Most of us in the media and in the general football public have formed our own opinions. But whether that opinion be informed or intuitive, the club is having none of it. The issue has to be resolved with the reputations and self-esteem of both parties intact. Such is the secret to successful diplomacy.
One ex-player's wife made a telling observation in the wake of last week's controversy.
"This would never have happened if Malcolm Blight was still here," she said. Her reasoning was two-fold. First, Blight never played favourites; second, Blight's wife Patsy was a wonderful off-field support to the senior coach, and her rapport with the players' wives and girl-friends eased a lot of those off-field pressures.
"That all changed when Malcolm left," she lamented, although she admits she has no insight to today's structures.
A wise old coach once told me, that if a talented player was struggling, there could be only one of two reasons: either he had problems at work, or he had problems at home. In the old days he was right, but the football club today is the players' work place, so domestic harmony becomes even more important.
Intriguingly, despite the distractions, both Edwards and McLeod had very good seasons.
But it is obvious to those who know them that the acrimony between the two wives is affecting them. Friendships between footy mates are supposed to be spontaneous, and natural, and if left to their own devices that is exactly how McLeod and Edwards would relate. But it's gone beyond that.
You don't have to like everyone that you play footy with, but almost overwhelmingly, you do.
Occasionally there are dramas and scandals within football clubs, but I suspect a lot less so than in life out there in the real world. Only two things can heal this festering issue and they are compromise and tolerance. If they can't compromise on their differences, at least tolerate them.
Failing that, as the grand old statesman of the Adelaide Football Club, Bill Sanders, has said repeatedly: "The club will always win".
Unfortunately, when the club wins, someone loses.
